Can Park Ji-Sung and South Korea emulate their 2002 World Cup success?

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports

Arguably the most successful Asian team, this is South Korea’s eighth appearance in the World Cup finals. No local football fan could have forgotten their fairytale run into the semi-finals back in the 2002 edition when they co-hosted the World Cup with Asian neighbours Japan.

Back then, they captured many fans’ imaginations with their fearless attacking football that saw them beat Portugal, Italy and Spain on their road to the last four. However four years later in Germany 2006, they failed to repeat that achievement as they bowed out in the group stage.

Can the Taegeuk Warriors emulate their 2002 success?

Or will they bow out early just like 2006?

Here’s a preview of South Korea going into the World Cup that will kick off on June 11th.

World Cup Pedigree
They have participated in seven previous World Cup editions with the highlight in 2002 where they stormed into the semi-finals.

They have not won the World Cup before in their history.

Qualification
Despite being handed a tough qualifying group alongside powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran and arch rivals North Korea, the Taegeuk Warriors managed to top the group with four wins and four draws from the eight matches.

The feat is all the more impressive considering they were the only Asian side to go through their qualifying campaign undefeated.

Achievement in 2006 World Cup
South Korea failed to make it past the first round group stage in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.

They started their campaign well with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Togo for their first ever World Cup win on foreign soil.

It was followed up with a shock 1-1 draw against France that put them in the driving seat to qualify for the last 16.

However, a disappointing 2-0 loss against Switzerland in their last group game meant they could only finish third in the group and had to exit the tournament early.

Coach
Local Huh Jung-Moo took over the team from previous coach Pim Verbeek in December 2007. This is his third spell as national coach and arguably his most successful one. Last November, he was awarded the Coach of the Year accolade by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for leading the side to 27 successive games without defeat.

However the jury is still out on the 55-year-old due to his lack of experience managing on the big stage. He spent the majority of his managerial career working in various technical positions in the Korean Football Association (KFA).

Captain
Having plied his trade in Europe for eight years, Park Ji-Sung is arguably the most successful footballer South Korea has produced.

The 29-year-old came to prominence in the 2002 World Cup where he scored a splendid goal against Portugal to help the South Koreans qualify for the World Cup knockout stages.

His energetic performances attracted the interest of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven who purchased him after the World Cup. He continued to impress in his three seasons in Holland which convinced English club Manchester United to bring him to England.

In his five seasons there, he won over the English fans with his work rate and was even nicknamed ‘Three-Lunged Park’ for his efforts. He is also the only Asian who had ever played in a European club final.

Players to Watch
Lee Chung-Yong — The 21-year-old winger enjoyed an excellent debut season with English club Bolton Wanderers.

His incisive dribbling and trickery down the flanks not only created many chances for his forwards, but also won the hearts of the his fellow teammates who crowned him Bolton’s Player of the Year.

Ki Sung-Yong — Former club mates with Lee Chung-Young at FC Seoul, the 21-year-old enjoyed a similar meteoric rise to his football career in the past season.

Scottish giant Glasgow Celtic were attracted to his vision and accurate passing ability and decided to sign him last September. FC Seoul were only prepared to let him go after the Korean season ended and thus he only joined Celtic this January.

His start to his Scottish football career has been a solid yet unspectacular one so far. His ability in midfield will prove crucial in breaking down many tight defences.

Park Chu-Young — A pacy and clinical forward, the 24-year-old will spearhead the South Koreans’ attack.

Having plied his trade for French club AS Monaco for the past two seasons, his experience with dealing with top-class defences will stand him in good stead at the World Cup.

Team Strengths
A number of young talents have been unearthed to replace the aging stars of the 2002 World Cup.

The trio of Lee, Ki and Park Chu-Young are all under the age of 25 and have successfully clinched playing contracts in top European leagues, emulating captain Park Ji Sung’s success. South Korea will have no lack of creativity in their attack with the presence of all four of them.

Also, the Korean people are famous for their support of the national team as seen in the 2002 World Cup. Expect a sizable population of the countrymen to turn up in South Africa to create a sea of red in the stands to inspire the team to success.

Team Weaknesses
Age could be a factor on a couple of key players. Full back Lee Young-Pyo is already 33 years of age while 2002 hero Anh Jung-Hwan is one year older.

Anh is not expected to hold a starting spot which will put the scoring pressure on Park Chu-Young’s shoulders.

Former first-choice custodian Lee Wong-Jae is also dropped from the starting 11 after a series of poor performances in the K-League with his club Suwon Bluewings. Second choice Jung Sung-Ryong could face a baptism of fire at the tournament.

Overall Squad Strength
In the 23-men finalised squad announced earlier, Huh Jung-Moo announced a total of 6 European-based players.

Other than the four mentioned above, full back Cha Du-Ri plays in the German Second Division with SC Freiburg while defensive midfielder Kim Nam-Il plays in the Russian League with FC Tom Tomsk.

In addition, Lee Young Pyo, Kim Dong-Jin, Lee Dong Gook and Anh Jung-Hwan also had experience playing in top European leagues.

Probable Starting 11
Jung Sung-Ryong (GK, Seongnam Ilhwa); Cha Du-Ri (full back, SC Freiburg), Lee Jong-Soo (centre back, Kashima Antlers), Kang Min-Soo (centre back, Suwon Bluewings), Lee Young-Pyo (full back, Al-Hilal); Lee Chung-Yong (winger, Bolton Wanderers), Ki Sung-Yong (central midfielder, Glasgow Celtic), Kim Jung-Woo (central midfielder Gwangju Phoenix), Park Ji Sung (winger, Manchester United) (captain), Yeom Ki-Hun (forward, Suwon Bluewings), Park Chu-Young (forward, AS Monaco)

1st Round Predictions
South Korea are slotted in Group B alongside Nigeria, Argentina and Greece.

Argentina are expected to finish first considering their pedigree, leaving the other three to fight it out for the second spot.

South Korea will have to win their opening game against 2004 European champions Greece to harbour any hopes of qualifying for the last 16 as they will face Argentina in their second game.

If they fail to get a positive result, they could be eliminated even before they face Nigeria in their final group game.

Ed’s note: Red Sports will be covering the World Cup daily and so join us each day to share your opinions about the night’s action.

For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/

GROUP B	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
ARGENTINA	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
SOUTH KOREA	3	1	1	1	5	6	-1	4
GREECE	3	1	0	2	2	5	-3	3
NIGERIA	3	0	1	2	3	5	-2	1

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For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/

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